


A Crane Among Crows

by WotanAnubis



Category: Crusader Kings 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Black Comedy, Culture Shock, Gen, People Standing Around Chatting, Satanism, Slice of Life, horrific implications
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 05:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16738192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WotanAnubis/pseuds/WotanAnubis
Summary: In which an Imperial Princess has a tough time adjusting to foreign ways.





	A Crane Among Crows

Queen Teng Liezong paced up and down the dark and gloomy hallway. Everything in this country was dark and gloomy, especially when compared to the Middle Kingdom. She'd been born in the Palace of Eternal Peace in Luoyang, a daughter of the Emperor. Unfortunately, she'd been the lesser daughter of a less beloved concubine, so when the king of strange and distant Frisia requested closer ties to the Son of Heaven through marriage it was Liezong who'd been chosen to be his bride. She was, after all, part of the Imperial family. But also quite expendable.

And so Liezong had found herself in this grey, flat, windy country full of strange, superstitious and frankly barbaric people. Most of what they did mystified her and she'd long given up on trying to learn their backwards customs. Especially since nobody seemed particularly inclined to teach her any of them.

"Don't worry so," said Nienke, her personal handmaiden, "everything will be fine."

Liezong stopped her pacing to look at the girl. She was quite common. Peasant stock. The kind of girl who at first glance didn't seem worth a second glance. Except that on the second glance you noticed her eyes, which were two dark pools that reflected firelight even when there was no fire around.

Liezong had felt quite insulted back when her brand new husband, King Renward, had given Nienke to her to serve as her handmaiden. But Nienke had turned out quite reliable and diligent in her duties. Intelligent, in an uneducated kind of way. She even made the effort to learn Liezong's language. It wasn't going well. Nienke was barely comprehensible, but Liezong appreciated the attempt anyway. Her supposed husband hadn't even bothered to try.

"I know," Liezong said wearily. "I'm sure everything will be fine. This... oh, what did you call it?"

"Baptism," Nienke supplied.

"Yes. Just some routine religious ritual. I _understand_."

Queen Liezong turned to the heavy and dark oak door. Behind them was her husband and her newborn baby and a number of priests, or whatever they were. All of them dressed in black cloaks and most of them wearing animal skulls. Liezong couldn't begin to imagine why supposedly holy people would wear skulls. It was a foreign thing, no doubt. Strange, barbaric people doing strange, barbaric things.

The Queen could hear singing coming from behind the heavy door. Although it wasn't what she would could singing. Not proper singing. It was a kind of low, constant droning as though everyone had something wrong with their throats. Ocassionally, and seemingly at random, some chains would rattle because apparently there were no ordinary instruments allowed at the ceremony.

"This whole... baptism... just strikes me as very strange, that's all," said Liezong.

"It's just our way," said Nienke.

"So I've come to learn," said Liezong. "Still, that's my firstborn child in there. I can't help but worry."

"She'll come out of it stronger," said Nienke. "Trust me."

"I wish I had your confidence in your... rituals."

The repetitive droning from behind the dark door reached a sudden crescendo and, then suddenly, everything was plunged into silence. For a moment, all the torches fitfully illuminating the gloomy hallway went out and everything was dark. Except for Nienke's eyes. Then the flames came back.

"What was _that_?" Queen Liezong demanded.

"The Lord of Darkness has blessed your child," Nienke said, smiling.

The oak door opened just wide enough for King Renward to slip out with little Yda, their baby, in his arms, but not wide enough for Liezong to be able to look into the room behind it. He was sweating and his smile was tired.

"It's done," the King proclaimed, panting.

"Good," said Liezong. "I'm glad we have all this behind us."

"It's only just beginning," said Nienke.

"Well, yes, I suppose," said Liezong. "She'll be Queen one day. There's a lot she'll need to learn. I was simply referring to your superst- your rituals."

"Yes, of course," said King Renward. 

He hugged the baby protectively against himself. Odd. He hadn't seemed to care much about little Yda when she was born. Another one of his foreign superstitions, no doubt. Perhaps these people believed babies were impure when they were born and only became pure after their baptism or some such nonsense.

"Oh, look at this," Liezong said. "You spilled blood all over our daughter. Really, Renward."

"I didn't spill it," the King said petulantly. "I drew it. It's all part of the whole thing."

Now that she got a closer look, Liezong could see there was, indeed, a drawing on the baby's forehead. A bunch of lines forming a five-pointed star. Drawn in blood because _of course_ these barbarians used blood for everything.

"Yes, I see," said Liezong. "Some sacred symbol, I suppose."

"Yes," said Nienke.

"Of a sort," said the King. "I'm sorry, dear, but it really was important that Yda got anointed with the blood of an innocent. Uh, creature. Innocent creature."

"A deer, no doubt," said Liezong, "so you can use its skull as a mask, later on. I take it this innocent blood is supposed to imbue our daughter with that same innocence?"

Nienke coughed.

"Yes. In a way. It draws her soul closer to our Lord," said Renward. "Oh, but come, let's not just keep standing around. After all this I could use a meal, couldn't you?" he added with forced joviality.

King Renward turned and strode away, still clutching little Yda to his chest. Liezong walked beside him. She wasn't entirely pleased with how he'd just shut down the conversation, but she had to admit that after all the pacing and worrying, some food did sound good right now.

Nienke followed behind, silent as a shadow.

"You know, Nienke keeps referring to this God of yours as the Lord of Darkness," said Liezong.

"Does she?" said the King.

"But I've heard you call him... let me think... Lightbringer? The Morning Star?"

"Oh, yes," said Renward.

"Seems rather contradictory, doesn't it?" said Liezong.

"It's one of the great mysteries of the faith," said Renward. "One only the greatest theologians can understand."

Liezong didn't sigh or roll her eyes, though she really would have liked to. Every time she tried to get some slight bit of understanding of her husband's and his people's bizarre ways it turned out she couldn't understand it anyway and probably shouldn't bother. It got very annoying sometimes.

"My Lord!"

Bishop Silef came running up to them. There really was no mistaking him, even in the dim light of the castle. Liezong had never seen any man so outrageously fat. Even the eunuchs back at the Imperial Court had been in much better shape.

And for some reason, the King kept inviting the Bishop over for banquet after banquet. It was terrible. The Bishop would have devoured his way through three courses while everybody else was still on the soup. He had the kind of gluttony that could bankrupt the kingdom. Liezong didn't understand why Renward put up with him, she really didn't.

"My Lord," Bishop Silef repeated when he reached the king.

The Bishop was panting and sweating. But then, he was always panting and sweating.

"My Lord, I... I must speak to you," the Bishop.

"Now? On this important day?" the King demanded.

"Please, I beg you. The things... I... I fear that..."

Liezong frowned. This wasn't like the Bishop at all. He was usually quite jolly, especially when there was food in front of him. But now his bulging eyes looked haunted.

"Pull yourself together," the King roared. "You're making a scene. In front of my wife!"

Bishop Silef looked at Liezong as though he only just now noticed she was here.

"S- sorry, my Lord," he mumbled. "But I must speak to you. I've... I've _seen_ things. In dreams. Terrible things. The... the darkness is... wait..."

Bishop Silef looked at little Yda, lying in King Renward's arms. His eyes focused on the bloody star on her forehead.

"No," he whimpered. "Oh, no."

Silef staggered back until he hit the wall. His right hand flew up to his forehead, down to his chest, then across both his shoulders. Strange gesture. Queen Liezong had never seen it before. But judging by the sudden look of anger on her husband's face it was probably some superstitious peasant symbol to ward off evil. The kind of thing that should be far below the dignified station of a priest. Even a barbarian one.

"Enough!" King Renward thundered. "We shall talk about this _in private_."

Bishop Silef slumped. His bountiful flesh sagged.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Well, if you're going to have a discussion with the Bishop, you'd better hand Yda over to me," said Liezong.

Suddenly the King, the Bishop, and the handmaiden were all shouting at once.

"No! No, that is not- Most unwise- No. Not really suitable! Just after- No!"

"I'll take her," said Nienke.

"Yes, that would be best," said King Renward.

"She's my _daughter_ ," said Liezong, indignant. "I can carry my own child."

"Of course, dear, of course," the King said hurriedly. "But just now is a... it's not... it's not quite the right time, you see. So shortly after her baptism. Please, just let Nienke have her for now. For me?"

"Fine," Queen Liezong. "But we are going to **talk** about this later, you hear?"

"Yes, dear," King Renward said meekly. "Now then, Bishop, if you'll come with me."

"Yes, Lord," Bishop Silef said, defeated.

"Don't look so glum," the King said. "Trust me, I'll make all your worries just go away."

"Yes, Lord," said the Bishop.

King Renward and the Bishop disappeared down one of the castle's many dark hallways. Nienke shifted little Yda in her arms. She smiled more brightly than Liezong had ever seen before.

"You have no idea how much of an honor it is to hold her," the handmaiden.

"How so?" said Liezong. "You've held her before."

"Yes, of course," said Nienke. "But she's been blessed by our Lord. Now she's a _true_ Princess of Darkness."

"She's the Princess of Frisia first," said Liezong. "All that... religious stuff is only a distant second."

Nienke coughed.

"As you say, my Lady," the handmaiden said. "Anyway, I think it'll be a while before you and King are going to have dinner now that he's busy dealing with the Bishop."

"Yes, I suppose the kitchens will have to cook five times as much now. Again," Liezong said sourly.

"Oh, I don't think the Bishop will be joining you," said Nienke. "But anyway, how about we give little Yda a bath?"

"Wash the blood off, you mean?" said Liezong.

"Exactly. The king won't object, I know."

"Then she should have a bath."

The bathroom was as dark and gloomy as everywhere else in the castle. Gloomier, even. The sun had been out earlier today, but it had become overcast so even the light falling in through the windows was grey and dreary.

Nienke bathed little Yda very carefully while the baby looked all around with her big, baby eyes. She looked like she was patiently taking everything in, but she wasn't. She was just a baby. She was simply looking at things she'd never seen before, promptly forgot them, then looked at the things she'd never seen before all over again. This time, little Yda's ever wandering attention went back over and over again to Liezong. She kept staring at her with her dark eyes. Of course she did. She was her mother, after all.

"My Lady, can I ask you something... uhm... kind of intimate?" Nienke asked with unusual hesitance.

"If you must," Liezong asked, watching Yda splash the water around.

"On the night that you and the King, uhm, sort of, you know, made the baby... how... how was he?"

"What kind of question is that?" Liezong demanded.

"Sorry, my Lady," said Nienke, blushing fiercely.

"Well, if you must know, it was all very... satisfying. Repeatedly. Surprisingly so," said the Queen.

"Surprisingly?" Nienke asked.

"Well, if you must know, the King is not particularly capable in the bedroom. But that night he was quite... enthusiastic. And more than capable."

"I thought so," said Nienke.

"Really? Why would you think so?"

"All done!" Nienke announced loudly. "There, little Yda's all cleaned up again."

"Can I take her now?" Queen Liezong asked.

"Of course, my Lady," said Nienke.

Liezong carefully took her daughter out of the bath. As promised, she was all clean again. Not a trace of blood anywhere on her. Although, if she looked carefully, Liezong imagined she could still see the outline of the five-pointed star on the baby's forehead.

"Who's my good little girl?" Liezong crooned, holding her daughter up to her face. " _You are._ Yes, you are."

Nienke coughed.


End file.
